Change My Attempt
by Enthusiastic Fish
Summary: My entry in the NFA Sibling Challenge. Tim's foster brother shows up and wants to get together. Tim wishes things were different. Three chapters. One per day.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is my entry in the NFA Sibling Challenge. We were supposed to give one of the NCIS characters a heretofore unknown sibling. I chose a foster sibling for Tim. Now, my disclaimer on this is that I know the foster care system isn't always bad, but my family's experience was extremely negative and I've seen firsthand what happens when the system fails the kids it's supposed to help. It's only three chapters and is set more or less in season 11, although without any references to episodes.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own NCIS or its characters. I'm not making money off this story.

* * *

**Change My Attempt  
**by Enthusiastic Fish

_Change my attempt good intentions  
__Should I, could I  
__Here we are with your obsession  
__Should I, could I_

_Crowned hopeless  
__The article read living wasteland  
__This time you've tried  
__All that you can turning you red  
__but I will not  
__Hide you through this  
__I want you to help_

_Change my attempt good intentions  
__Limbs tied, skin tight  
__Self inflicted his perdition  
__Should I, could I_

_Change my attempt good intentions  
__Should I, could I _

"_Wasteland" by 10 Years_

**Chapter 1**

Tim was just waiting for his phone to ring. His parents had called him that morning, warning him. ...telling him that he couldn't keep doing the same thing he had done every time. They had tried to help, and they knew that they had to be firm, put their foot down. It wouldn't do any good to keep it up.

And he had the best of intentions, not to do what he had always done.

It was just that he couldn't.

He told himself that he wouldn't, that it wasn't really helping. He told himself...until the phone rang and he heard that voice asking him to help.

...and it was like he was back in high school, meeting him for the first time, excited about the prospect.

He just couldn't get rid of that, couldn't say no...even when he knew he should.

"Hey, McGee, what's up with you?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's got to be the millionth time you've checked your phone today. Big news?"

"Oh, I hope not," Tim said with a grimace.

"What kind of an answer is that?"

"An honest one," Tim said.

Tony furrowed his brow.

"What are you talking about?"

Tim didn't really want to get into this with someone not in the family, but Tony had become strangely intent about _listening_ and offering advice. So he had to say _something_.

"My mom called me this morning and she just wanted to give me some advice that I didn't need."

"Hint, hint?" Tony asked with a smile.

Tim grinned back, but then, his smile faded when his phone rang. He looked at it and didn't recognize the number. Not that it mattered. He looked around. Gibbs wasn't there. He looked at Tony once and then got up and walked away from his desk to a relatively -secluded place.

"Hello," he said.

"_Tim! I knew you'd answer."_

"Hi, Jake."

"_Don't sound so happy to hear from me, Tim. It's been a while."_

"I know it has," Tim said neutrally. "How are things going?"

"_Oh, I know you're at work and can't talk long,"_ Jake said blithely. _"I'm in DC and I want to get together."_

"I don't know, Jake."

"_It won't be like last time, Tim. Promise."_

Tim winced at the mentioned of _last time_. He'd lucked out last time, but it had been a near thing.

"You always say that, Jake."

"_I know, but I mean it. Last time was different. Come on, please? I haven't seen you in forever. Not since last time."_

And like he had every single time, Tim caved.

"Okay."

"_Meet you at your place?"_

Tim was smart enough _not_ to do that. He'd learned his lesson, not _last time_, but right after he'd been hired by NCIS. Jake couldn't know where he lived.

"No. Call me this evening. We'll find a place to go."

"_If I didn't know better, I'd think that you didn't want me to know where you live, Tim."_

"I don't, Jake. And you know why."

"_If you don't want to see me, just say so,"_ Jake retorted, sounding resentful.

Tim knew it was just an act. Jake never called just to hang out. He wanted something; so he wouldn't just walk away.

"I won't tell you where I live, Jake."

"_All right, all right. I'll call."_

"If a case comes up, I won't be able to come. Remember that."

"_I know, but we always luck out with that, don't we."_

"Yeah, we do."

"_Okay! See you tonight!"_

"Bye, Jake."

Tim hung up and sighed. He had known that he wouldn't be able to say no.

"So...who's Jake?"

Tim jumped and turned around.

"Tony, were you listening?"

"Of course, I was!" Tony said with a smile. "Who's Jake? I didn't hear everything, but you didn't sound really happy about talking to him."

"I wish I could be," Tim said honestly. "I always go into it thinking it'll be different, but it never is."

"So...who is he?"

"My brother."

"Your...brother? But..." Tony looked a bit wigged out by the idea that Tim had managed to conceal a whole other sibling from him for more than a decade.

Tim smiled. "Foster brother. He lived with us for a couple of years when I was in high school...before the system decided that he would be better off with his drug-addicted, neglectful mother who would drag him around from boyfriend to boyfriend...or not, than in a stable, loving home with a family." He shook his head and then, laughed in reminiscence. "I got into more trouble with Jake during those two years than in the rest of my life all together. I loved having a brother."

"Trouble? I can't picture young Probie getting into trouble and laughing about it," Tony said.

"It wasn't serious stuff. Some of it was pretty stupid of us, but...gosh, we were inseparable," Tim said, laughing. "I still remember when Jake got the bright idea to make a recording of...oh, what was it? That thing about badges from _Treasure of Sierra Madre_ and play it over the PA system at school. We both got detention for that. I was the one who rigged the system to repeat it over and over."

Tony laughed. "Sounds fun."

"Yeah. He was a blast. I always had a friend as long as he was there. He stuck with me. It nearly killed me when Mom and Dad told us that he was going back to his mom. He didn't want to go, and I didn't want him to leave. Mom and Dad didn't, either, but the courts didn't care about that. His mom had momentarily cleaned herself up enough to demand him back and the courts just handed him over to his mom. He ran away once, made his way back to us, but he couldn't stay."

"What happened, then?" Tony asked.

"I didn't hear from Jake for years after that. We tried writing letters, but...Jake was dragged around to so many places that my letters never made it to him, and I only got a letter here and there from him. Then, my last year at MIT, I got a call from him. We met up..."

"And?"

"And you two are supposed to be working," Gibbs said, striding into the bullpen.

"On it, Boss," Tony said with a look at Tim.

Tim just smiled. He was happy to stop reminiscing before the memories got bitter. ...and he could hope that a case would keep them at NCIS and he would be able to beg off creating another bitter memory. He had little doubt that it would be anything but sweet.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

At around six-thirty, Tim's phone rang again. He had just been getting up to leave, thinking that maybe Jake had decided not to call back.

Alas.

It was a different number.

"Hello," he said.

"_Hey! How's it going, Tim?"_

Tim smiled at Tony a little and walked to the elevator.

"I'm just on my way out, Jake."

"_Great! Where do you want to meet up?"_

"How about on the Mall? We can walk to a lot of places from there," Tim said.

"_No car?"_

"There's never any place to park around DC," Tim said.

"_All right, all right. The Jefferson Memorial?"_

"Sure. I'll see you there as soon as I can get there."

Tim hung up, hesitated and then, called his parents.

"Hey, Mom," he said.

"_Jake called you?"_

"Yeah."

"_And you're getting together."_

"Yeah."

"_Tim..."_

"I can't...say no, Mom. I just can't."

"_I know you can't, but you should. The last time..."_

"I know...but there's a good guy in there, still."

"_He's buried too deep, Tim. Jake has to be willing to make a lot of sacrifices and fight some big battles in order to bring that good man out. If he's willing to fight, we'll be behind him all the way, but we can't keep letting him..."_

"I know."

"_Be careful, Tim. Please."_

"I will."

"_And call to let me know that you're all right."_

"I will."

"_Okay. We love him, too, Tim. We always will, but we can't fight his battles for him."_

"I know."

"_And I love you."_

"I love you, too, Mom."

Tim hung up and steeled himself to go. He started walking to the exit.

"Hey, McGee!"

Tim turned around. There was Tony running out of the building.

"What, Tony? Gibbs change his mind about letting us go?"

"No. I was wondering if your brother was here."

Tim shook his head.

"No. He'd never risk coming to a place like this."

"Risk?"

"He's an ex-con, Tony...and probably should still be in jail, but he didn't get caught."

Tony's eyes widened.

"Are you sure you want to go?"

"No, but I can't say no to him. Never could. Whether it's goofing off in high school or getting together now, I can't say no to my brother." Tim shrugged. "I learned not to let him know where I live. I'm not taking my car. So..."

"...man, Tim...if that's what you have to do..."

"He's my brother. He needs someone to believe in him because he doesn't believe in himself. If I don't...no one will, and someday, maybe he'll...change."

"If you need any help, Tim, call me, okay?"

Tim smiled.

"I will."

"Okay. Be careful."

"I will."

Tim smiled one more time and then headed off. Deep down, he knew what was going to happen tonight, at least to some degree. It was going to disappoint him, hurt him and Jake would disappear for a few more years.

But he still couldn't help hoping for things to be different.

He walked to the Metro and rode to the Mall and then walked over to the Jefferson Memorial. He looked around. There were a few people there, but only one was being avoided by most of them. He stifled a sigh and walked over to the man wearing ragged clothes, with stringy hair, and a cynical smile on his face.

"Hi, Jake," he said.

Jake turned to him and the cynical smile changed to a genuine one. He shouted even though Tim was right there.

"Tim! You haven't changed!"

He ran over and gave Tim a vigorous thump on the back and then a hug. Tim smiled and hugged Jake back, trying to ignore the looks they were getting. Jake liked the attention (negative or otherwise), but Tim didn't.

"You look ready for dinner," Tim said.

And he did. Jake was almost gaunt.

"I could eat a horse," Jake said loudly. "Well, maybe not a literal horse, but I'm starved."

"All right. Let's go."

"It's good to see you, Tim," Jake said, slinging his arm around Tim's shoulders.

"You, too, Jake," Tim said. And it was...for now.

"Let's eat. You buying?"

"Of course."

"Excellent."

They walked away from the memorial and toward an area where they could get something to eat.

"I want to hear all the exciting stories about what you're doing, Tim," Jake said. "It's too bad we can't get together more often."

"Yeah, it is."

The reason they couldn't wasn't brought up.

Somehow, Jake could completely ignore what he did every time he showed up in Tim's life...and Tim let him.

Still, the beginning of the evening was a nice meal together, talking and laughing about the good times.

But all good things had to come to an end. They always did.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The phone started ringing, pulling Tony out of a sound sleep. He fumbled around for his phone, wondering what could possibly have happened that necessitated NCIS showing up at whatever time it was. He looked at his clock.

Two in the morning.

He groaned and answered.

"DiNozzo," he mumbled.

"_Hey, Tony. It's...Tim."_

Tony yawned. "What is it, McGee? A case?"

"_No. No case. I was hoping you could give me a ride to NCIS so I can get my car and go home."_

"A ride? At two a.m.? Can't you get a taxi or something?" Tony asked.

"_Uh...no, I can't, Tony. I don't have any money."_

Tony started to wake up more.

"Why not?"

"_Please, Tony? Could you just give me a ride? I know it's late and I'll owe you until the end of time, but I really need a ride. I don't want to be out here any longer than I have to be."_

"Where are you?"

"_By the Anacostia where Jake ran off...with my wallet and my money."_

Now, Tony was _completely_ awake.

"What?"

"_Can you come and get me, Tony? If not, I need to start walking, but I'm not really thrilled at the prospect of walking back to NCIS at this time of night."_

"I'm coming," Tony said. He got Tim's location and then hurriedly got dressed and drove over. Tim was standing on the sidewalk and looked relieved to be getting into the car.

"Thanks, Tony," Tim said. "If you could just drop me at the Yard. I can walk to my car. I just didn't want to walk all the way there."

Tim didn't seem all that upset about what had happened.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. This isn't the first time," Tim said with a sigh.

"It isn't?"

"No."

"How many times has it happened, then?"

Tim leaned back against the seat and stared out the windshield.

"Every time Jake has contacted me. He always ends up stealing from me. And I know it's going to happen, but I still fall for it. Every time."

"How much did he steal?"

"I already got my credit cards canceled, although he's never tried to use them before. He'll have accessed the ATM before I was able to stop him, though. I have a limit of 200 dollars withdrawal per day just so that I'll restrict what he can take from me. He knows that I'll never _give_ him money for what he wants. He has to take it. And he does. Every time."

"He doesn't have a job?"

Tim laughed a little. "I don't know. Is drug dealing considered an occupation nowadays?"

"He's selling drugs?"

"He was the last I knew, but he's always involved in some deal or another. He's not very good at it, and he usually ends up owing people money. So he comes to me. He used to try asking, but he doesn't anymore. He knows I'll say no. He knows that he can get a free meal out of me. He knows that I'll have money he can take."

"Then, why in the world do you do it?"

"Because he's my brother." Tim laughed a little. "He's heavy, but he's still my brother. ...and he likes me still. When we first meet up, it's always like he was when we were in high school. We talk about the fun things we did. We eat. He catches up with what I've been doing. Then, he robs me and disappears for a while. In a few more years, he'll show up again, never mention what he did to me and it'll happen again."

"And you let it?"

"Yeah. I do. ...because I'd rather give in to this than have a repeat of the first time he showed up."

"What happened?"

"I fought him. He knocked me out. That was when he got arrested and went to jail. I was at MIT at the time. He was desperate for money. I didn't have much, but he took what he could...but he got caught beating me up. Went to jail for a few years. When he got out, he called me up. I had just started at NCIS. He came to my place and cleaned it out. Was kind enough to leave me a message apologizing for taking everything of value I owned, but he wrote that he needed the money. When I moved here, he called me up and I didn't tell him where I lived. He tried to get it out of me, but I said no...so he just took my wallet instead. The last time he was here, he almost got me tangled up in a drug deal...and it was only Gibbs calling about a case that saved me from that."

Tony couldn't believe how nonchalant Tim was about being taken time after time by someone who was clearly using him.

"Tim...why would you–?"

"Let myself go through this over and over? My mom keeps telling me that I need to stop it. Jake could be a good person, but he has to do a lot in order to get there. He has to be willing to change, and he hasn't been. I don't know what it will take. I don't know if it can happen at all. ...and every time this happens, I tell myself I won't do it again, that it would be better for me to let him face the consequences. ...but every time he calls, I say yes...knowing what's going to come out of it."

"He's manipulating you, Tim."

"I know, but I'm more afraid of finding out he's finally owed the wrong person money and paid for it with his life than I am of losing a few hundred dollars whenever we get together."

They pulled onto the Yard, and Tony drove Tim over to his car. Tim looked at him and then got out. Quickly, Tony put his car in park and got out as well.

"Tim."

Tim turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think you're helping him by doing this?"

Finally, some of Tim's distress showed on his face.

"I don't know, Tony. Honestly, I have no idea if I'm making it worse or better. I try to reduce the amount of damage he does every time he comes, and I can still see him as the good kid he was. When he first moved in with us, he was afraid of losing every little thing he had...and he didn't have much. He freaked out the first time Mom tried to get him to let her do his laundry because he couldn't fathom having clothes cleaned and given back to him. He was nervous around Dad because his mom's boyfriends didn't tend to care much for the kid his mom dragged around. He got out of all that...for long enough to know what he'd missed. Then, he was thrown right back into it." Tim sounded angry. "How messed up would _you_ be if that was your life? I'm not making excuses for him. What he does to me every time is wrong. I know it. He knows it, too. ...but he also knows that I care, that no matter what he does, I'm here. And I keep hoping that at some point, he'll suddenly realize that he wants what he had for those two years...and if and when that happens, he'll know that he can come to me and I'll help him. ...because even when he does the worst he can, I still let him come back. Is that the right thing? I don't know. I really don't. I just know that I can't give up on him...even though every interaction I have with Jake tells me that I should."

Tim shrugged and cleared his throat. He let out a loud whoosh of air.

"He's my brother, Tony. No, we're not related by blood, but I love him as if we were."

Tony looked at Tim, at his resignation to the situation he willingly got into time and again. Part of him thought Tim was an idiot, that he was just being taken in over and over and refusing to learn his lesson. But the other part saw that Tim was doing the same thing for Jake that he had tried to do for Sarah. Jake was family and that meant that Tim would stand between him and danger, no matter what that required. Was it the right thing to do? Maybe, maybe not...but Tim didn't know any other way to act. His parents had their way which was, apparently, to keep Jake at arm's length until he was willing to change his life. Tim's way was to open his arms again and again and hope that it would _encourage_ Jake to change his life. Would either approach have a satisfactory outcome? Logically, Tony thought not. Jake had embraced the life he had and didn't seem to want to change. Did that mean he could berate Tim for his weary, almost-stolid support of his foster brother?

No. Not a chance.

"Tim?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd kill to have a brother like you."

Tim raised an eyebrow in silent skepticism.

"Really."

Tim actually laughed a little and stared at the ground.

"Thanks...Tony. And thanks for the ride."

"You need any money?" Tony asked, only half joking.

"No. I'm fine. I've got plenty."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Are you going to report him?" Tony asked, already knowing the answer.

"No. He won't have stuck around anyway. By now, he's probably halfway to his next deal."

"Are you really okay with this?" Tony asked, assuming that Tim would just say yes to get the conversation over with, but he was wrong.

Finally, Tim let it out. Resigned or not, there was an underlying emotion.

"I hate this, Tony. I hate knowing that I care more about Jake's well-being than he cares about mine. It's all about him, and it has been from the first time I saw him at MIT. He likes me enough to want to catch up, but not enough to keep me out of what he does. The only reason I haven't been dragged in further than I am is because I refuse to let him do to me what his mother did to him: drag him as far down as she was, not out of malice but because there's no sense of things being any better."

Tony walked over to him.

"You could try a different way."

"Logically...yes, but I don't know if I can say no to him."

"Maybe it's worth a try."

"Maybe. I tried something a little different this time, but it won't make any difference."

Tim rubbed his hands over his head and took a breath.

"It's really early in the morning, Tony. I've had a bad evening. I think I'll just go home."

"Okay. You going to be on time to work?"

Tim smiled.

"If I value my life...and I do."

Tony smiled back and saluted.

"Good night, Tim."

"Night, Tony."

Tim walked to his car and drove it away. Tony watched him leave and then walked to his own car and drove back home, a different image of Tim in his mind now. After ten years, he felt like he'd known Tim pretty well, but this was a whole new facet. Tim as a big brother to Sarah was kind of endearing because he was so protective. Tim as a big brother to Jake was sad because it seemed like wasted effort. ...but it was the same effort he would give to anyone in his family.

Tony wished that he had the right answer, but he was pretty sure that Tim would have happened upon the right answer sometime during the last ten years if there was an easy one.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

As he hurried through the streets, Jake told himself that this was the last time he'd take advantage of Tim. He told himself that every time, that he would stop giving Tim a reason to look at him with such disappointment every time he showed up. He told himself that, but it never happened. He needed money and he knew that Tim wouldn't give him money for this kind of thing. Tim's parents had long since cut him off...when he had let his desperation take precedence over caring about another person. He still couldn't believe that Tim had even given him the time of day after that incident.

As he pulled Tim's wallet out of his pocket, he noticed that Tim had taken his driver's license out. There was about a hundred dollars in the bill fold. That would do him very nicely. He stayed away from the credit cards. Too risky to use. But he could stop at an ATM and withdraw the max from Tim's account.

As he searched through the wallet to make sure he had all the bills, he saw a folded piece of paper. He furrowed his brow and pulled it out, thinking that maybe it would have a dollar or something inside.

There wasn't.

It was a letter.

Addressed to him.

Chagrined that Tim had written him a letter, knowing that he'd have the wallet, Jake started to read it.

_Jake,_

_If you're reading this, that means that you've robbed me again, that you've kicked me in the teeth for the millionth time. I know that this will keep happening, but every time I hear from you, I hope for more. I hope that you want to see me because you really want to see me, not because you're going to steal my wallet and as much of my money as you can get your hands on._

_I love you, Jake, and you have so much potential to be a wonderful man, but you're not. You're squandering all that potential to be a felon. If you wanted to change, you know that you'd have help from all of us, me and Mom and Dad, even Sarah. You don't have to be what your mom was. You can be better, lots better. I don't know what it will take for you to see that and admit it, but I see it in you every time we get together. And that makes what you do to me every time all the worse._

_I suppose I'll see you in a few years when you want to steal more money from me._

_Your brother,  
__Tim_

Jake sat down on a bench on the sidewalk and stared at the letter. Tim thought that he only came to take money from him. ...but if that was all he'd wanted, he wouldn't have needed to come here to get money.

...but what else did he do? He mooched off of Tim and then stole from him. Why should Tim expect anything else?

...but why would he let Jake keep coming?

Then, he reread the letter again.

_I love you, Jake._

And Tim had signed it _your brother_.

It was almost funny. He and Tim had only lived together for two years. Two years out of a lifetime. It was such a small amount...but it had meant so much. All of Jake's happy memories were of those two years with the McGees. How he had wished that he could have stayed with them.

...and he used those two years to stomp all over Tim every single time.

Jake looked at the ATM card that he had been about to take out of the wallet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Tim stared at the ceiling for a long time. He hadn't got much sleep. The letter he'd written to Jake...well, he mostly assumed that Jake would throw it away without looking at it. It was a gamble.

It was sad to him that Jake was ruining his own life. Sooner or later, he'd get caught by the police and go back to jail. Or else he'd get in the way of someone bigger than he was and end up dead. That was Tim's biggest fear. Prison might help knock some sense into Jake. Death was irreversible.

Finally, around six a.m., he got up and called his mother, knowing that she'd be worrying.

"_Tim?"_

"Hi, Mom."

"_Same as always?"_

"Yeah. Same."

"_How much this time?"_

"I had about a hundred in my wallet. I haven't checked my withdrawals yet. I'm guessing the 200 dollars that's my limit."

"_Tim, you have got to stop this."_

"I know. I say that to myself every time...but he's my brother."

"_And a grown man who has made his choices. Don't let him drag you down with him."_

"I won't. I just wish things were different."

"_Wishing isn't going to change things."_

"I know."

There was a knock at his door. Considering how early it was, Tim had no idea who it would be.

"Sorry, Mom, I've got to go. I just wanted to let you know that I was all right."

"_Thanks for calling, Tim...and think about what I said."_

"I already have a lot of times."

"_I know. Love you."_

"I love you, too."

Tim hung up and walked to the door. He looked through the peephole and then opened the door quickly.

"Tony...it's six in the morning!"

"I figured you wouldn't be asleep," Tony said with a grin. "Am I right?"

"Yeah...but... what are you doing here?"

"You want to get breakfast?"

Tim smiled.

"Tony, I'm fine. This has happened before and it'll happen again. You don't have to be nice to me. I'm just fine."

"Good. Then, you can get ready and come with me to get something for breakfast."

Tim could see that Tony was in one of his serious moods in spite of the grin on his face.

"Okay. Give me a few minutes. I did just get out of bed."

"I notice you didn't say wake up."

"No, I didn't."

Tony's expression was almost a _gotcha_ look. Tim rolled his eyes and went back into his room. He showered quickly and then got dressed. He didn't want to have Tony loose in his apartment with no supervision. That was a risky proposition, even when Tony was feeling like being nice. He came out.

"Okay. Where are we going?"

"Your pick...as long as it's not too expensive."

"Tony, you don't have to pay for me. I told you that I have plenty of money. Jake didn't clean me out by any means."

"I know. Doesn't mean I can't pay anyway. Let's go."

Tim nodded and let Tony urge him out. They went to a place near the Yard and got some breakfast. Tim expected Tony to ask him more about Jake, what he was like, where he'd be now, anything like that, but there was nothing. Tony seemed determined _not_ to say anything about Jake. But they weren't sitting in silence. In fact, it was strangely normal. They were just talking about normal things, and Tim was both happy about it and weirded out by it. Still, he didn't say anything about it. He just let it be...normal.

They finished eating, Tony paid and they left.

"Why did you do this, Tony?" Tim asked. "I mean...I told you that it's okay. I meant it. It really is okay."

"No, it's not, Tim."

"What do you mean it's not?" Tim said. "I promise. I'm not trying to be noble. It's okay."

"That's not why it's not okay, Tim."

"Then, why?"

"Because your brother is taking advantage of your memories to throw you under the bus. That's not the kind of family you should have...or expect to have."

Tim raised an eyebrow and smiled a little.

"Are you saying that you're offering yourself up as a better option?"

Tony smiled back.

"I know I'm not much, but I've _got_ to be better than _that_."

Tim felt unaccountably touched by Tony's efforts to make up for Tim's lackluster experience the night before, and he found that he couldn't actually answer. He just mustered up a smile. Tony grinned back and slung his arm around Tim's shoulders. They headed to work. When they got to the entrance, they were suddenly stopped.

"Agent McGee, I've got something of yours here."

"What?" Tim asked, his brow furrowing.

The security guard at the gate held out his wallet. Tim was more shocked than he could say.

"That's...my wallet."

"Yeah. Some guy showed up early in the morning, said he'd found it. There was something with your name in the wallet. Anything missing from it? I got a picture of the guy on the security camera if he was just pretending to be a good guy."

Tim looked through it. The money was gone, but his cards were all there. ...and the letter was gone. He hadn't had a chance to check his bank account...but the ATM card was there. He was surprised again. This had never happened before.

"Anything missing?"

"Uh...no. I don't think so," Tim said. "Thanks."

Tony didn't say anything, and they continued onto the Yard. As Tony parked, Tim kept looking at his wallet. Jake had never returned his wallet before. Never. He wasn't surprised that the money was gone, but the wallet was back? Had his letter actually made an impact?

"Tim?"

Tim looked at the wallet and then at Tony.

"He gave me back my wallet."

"That's new?"

"Yeah."

"So...all's forgiven?"

Tim smiled and shook his head. "No, but it's a step, Tony. It's a step, and I don't care how small it is, it's...something."

They walked into the bullpen, and Tim got onto his computer and logged in to his bank account.

The balance hadn't changed.

Jake hadn't taken any money from his account.

"Tim?"

"He didn't use the ATM card, Tony."

"Congratulations."

Tim heard the lack of enthusiasm and he looked up. Tony had a skeptical look on his face.

"You aren't impressed," Tim said.

"Not really. He still took your wallet and took money out of it, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did, but he didn't go as far."

"He could just be making you let your guard down next time."

"I know, Tony. I'm not trying to make him out to be an angel or anything. This is something different, something better...and maybe it'll mean something."

"So...no giving up?"

"I can't. If I do...he doesn't have anyone fighting for him anymore."

Tony walked over and leaned on Tim's desk.

"Tim?"

"Yeah?"

"If Jake doesn't appreciate this, I do."

"_You_ do? Why?" Tim asked.

"Because if I ever screw up, I'd hope that you'd be on my side, too."

Tim looked at his bank account again and then at Tony.

"Tony...the great thing is...that I don't have worry about you screwing up like this. I don't have to search for a reason to be glad about knowing you. It's a lot easier. Thank you."

Tony smiled and gave Tim a thump on the shoulder and then went back to his desk.

Tim looked at the unchanged bank balance one more time.

All he could do was hope that this was a real change and not an ephemeral moment when Jake had done the right thing.

He pulled out his wallet and opened it. He suddenly noticed a small piece of paper tucked behind his ATM card. He pulled it out.

Three words. That's all that was written.

_I'm sorry, brother._

The same words Jake had written to him before. Tim just hoped they actually meant something.

He wouldn't know until the next time Jake showed up.

FINIS!


End file.
